Tennessee Vols DC Hot Board

Tennessee is still in the market for a defensive coordinator after courting Ohio State's Al Washington for several days. Heupel pursued Washington relentlessly, but the Columbus native decided to stay. We take a look at several options left to potentially fill the void. (no particular order)

John Jancek

Jancek served as defensive coordinator at Tennessee from 2013-2015, and he had varying success, but he had success. His knowledge of SEC recruiting and willingness to work with the challenges Heupel's warp-speed offense presents to a defensive coordinator is another feather in his cap. Jancek has family in Knoxville, while he currently serves as a defensive quality control assistant at Georgia. He is a reasonable option left on the table for Tennessee. One source confirmed to VR2 on SI that Jancek does have an interest in Tennessee.

Joseph Gillespie

Gillespie was arguably the top group of five defensive coordinator this fall. He had success against Josh Heupel's offense and given White and Heupel's track record of hiring successful up and comers, Gillespie certainly fits the bill.

Kacy Rodgers

Rodgers is a Tennessee native, and he played at the University. His name was brought to our attention on Friday ahead of the Superbowl, but all was quiet given he was fixing to coach in the game. One source told VR2 on SI, Rodgers would have an interest in returning to Tennessee, while another remained unsure if Rodgers would make the jump back to college. Rodgers still remains a viable option for Tennessee at this point. Rodgers spent eight years as a college coach before heading to the NFL. During his time in the NFL, he spent three years calling plays for the New York Jets. Despite not recruiting for some time, Rodgers would bring in-state ties and recent NFL success to Rocky Top, if he became the choice.

Travaris Robinson

Robinson fits the mold for everything Tennessee is looking for in a defensive coordinator. His name has not yet been linked to the job, as he recently landed at Miami. He is young, innovative, has play-calling experience and is an excellent recruiter. He is a name to monitor as this point, as are many in the coaching world. Al Washington's name seemingly came out of nowhere, which is how Danny White operates.

As more names become available, if they do, this article will be updated.